It was a typical day at the Muddlefoot house. Honker was doing extra homework for extra credit, his brother Tank was playing a violent new videogame. Mrs. Muddlefoot was doing dishes in the kitchen, and Herb had just settled on his couch for some intense reality TV watching. All was normal...so far.
No one noticed a van pull up by the curb. Two ducks got out, ducks dressed in yellow jumpsuits, thier faces hidden behind egg-shaped helmets. They were ordinary people turned forever into minions of F.O.W.L. The Eggmen opened the front door and crept through the hallway. They had a metal cylinder with them, and placed it at the foot of the stairs, adjacent to doorways leading to the kitchen and living room. Then one of them turned a valve on the tank, and they ran back out the door.
Thick clouds of green gas poured from the cylinder. It flowed into the living room, into the kitchen. "What the? Honker, have you been plain' with chemicals again?" cried Herb, seconds before he fell to the floor, overcome by the gas. Pinkie was so absorbed in baking cookies that she didn't even notice the gas until it became difficult to breathe. Then she too collapsed. The gas floated upstairs too, and soon Tank dropped his video game controller and slumped in his chair. "What's going on?" exclaimed Honker as the gas entered his room. He held a hand over his beak and tried to get into the hallway, but he couldn't even see, he was lost in a green fog. Then he fell over as well.
The gas dispersed fairly rapidly, and after about ten minutes, the air in the house was clear again. Wearing a gas mask just in case, an Eggman re-entered the house and headed upstairs. He quickly found Honker after consulting a photograph, and picked him up and carried him downstairs, out the front door, and placed him in the van. Then it roared off, and everything looked about how it did before they had arrived.
The phone rang a few minutes later, but of course, there was no answer. "That's weird, I know Honker's home." remarked Gasoline next door. She hung up and went over. To her surprise, the door was left open. Cautiously, the little girl entered. "Honker? Mr. Muddlefoot?" she called. Nothing. They couldn't have gone anywhere, the car was still in the driveway and Honker was the only Muddlefoot who ever walked anywhere. She entered the living room...and saw Herb lying on his side. She was almost afraid to go near him, but saw he was still breathing. Running back outside, she was already calling "Dad!"
Drake Mallard was having his lunch. "What's going on?" he asked his daughter.
"Something weird is happening at the Muddlefoots." said Gasoline. "And that's unusual?" quipped Drake. "I found Mr. Muddlefoot lying on the floor, Dad, come take a look." Drake sighed. "All right..."
A quick inspection of the house convinced even Drake that something was amiss. They found the other family members unconscious, but no sign of Honker. Gosalyn was really worried now. "What could have happened to him?" she asked Drake. "I'll find out...once Darkwing Duck gets involved." said Drake.
In costume a few minutes later as Darkwing Duck, he returned to the house to find the family awake but groggy. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked Herb. "Some kinda weird gas floated in, I thought it was one of Honker's experiments." said Mr. Muddlefoot. "Next thing I know, you're standing there. Imagine, Darkwing Duck in my house."
"Okay, fine." said DW impatiently. "Sounds like you've been gassed. This device will scan the air for any remaining molecules of gas. There should be at least some left." He turned on the device, which resembled a radar gun, and waved it around. The device emitted a beeping sound. "Hmmm...looks like GZ7667. A powerful gas indeed." The crimefighter looked thoughtful. "But what about Honker?" asked Binkie. "He'll miss dinner."
Darkwing gave her one of his patented looks. "Well, he might have escaped...but then he would surely have gone to Drake Mallard's house. I spoke to him and his daughter, and he wasn't there. So I have to find out who is responsible for his disappearance. Darkwing Duck is on the job!" With that, he disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke, leaving the Muddlefoots bewildered as well as concerned.
Darkwing Duck and all related characters are property of Disney. This work is property of Eric Smith. (C) 2006.